The fan's perspective on Dark magic...

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

So, elsewhere on the 'net, I came across someone tearing apart The Draco Trilogy, and this person had something very interesting to say about Dark magic:

When you use Dark Magic, it's because you want someone to die, or feel terrible pain, or bend unquestioningly to your will; you want that for its own sake, and not necessarily to accomplish anything. Dark Magic has nothing to do with whether or not a spell causes pain, just the wizard casting it.

This came from a fan of the series, of course, but without meaning to it in essence confirms what we've been saying all along about the way morality and Dark magic work in this series--it's not the spells a wizard uses that are Dark or otherwise, it's whether the wizard themselves is good or evil. If the wizard using a spell is "evil," then no matter what they do it will be evil and Dark. If the wizard using a spell is "good," then no matter what they do it will be good and not-Dark.

Comments

[terri-testing.livejournal.com]

So--wait. When Bellatrix cast the Cruciatus on the Longbottoms (senior), and on Neville, and on Hermione, she wasn't REALLY performing Dark Magic. Because in all those cases, her use of torture was purposeful--she wanted to make the Longbottom's and Hermione talk, and she was using Neville's pain to put pressure on Harry to give up the Prophecy.

So, uh, really, as far as we can see, Bellatrix really isn't a Dark Witch as all? Just a loyal soldier utterly devoted to her cause? The Hermione of the other side?

[josephinestone.livejournal.com]

The Hermione of the other side?

This made the idea pop into my head: what if every character has an opposite? Like, Bella is what Hermione is like when you aren't in Harry's POV.